About
The WorldFestival 2023 Startup Awards is the world’s largest startup awards event identifying and recognizing global innovation, with 30,000+ members voting on 5,000+ startups, companies, and new technologies.
Winners are chosen based on 3 factors:
- Qualifier Round – Anyone can vote, 1 point per vote, and leaderboard rankings are live and public
- Final Round – Qualified committee members vote with online ballots, 1 point per vote, and ballot points are not added until the end of the round
- Benchmark points, including: funding raised, news and media coverage, etc
View Last Year’s WorldFestival
Top 50 Startups
See the 2022 Award winners showcasing global innovation and progress across 16 categories.
Who is Judging?
WorldFestival organizes thousands of judges on the Judging Committees for the WorldFestival Startup Awards, including Venture Capitalists, Angel investors, Corporate Executives, Tech Media & Press, and leading speakers. Our past startup competitions have hosted judges from NEA, Index Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Greylock Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and more. View last year’s Judging Committees
How to nominate your innovation:
The WorldFestival Startup Awards recognize the top 1,000+ startups in the world this year. (If your company or organization does not qualify for the WorldFestival Startup Awards, you can apply for the WorldFestival Innovation Awards using the same form. Click the “Nominate your STARTUP” button below.)
Rules
Startup Awards
- Startup Award nominees must have raised less than $10 million in funding (or have less than $10 million in revenues), have fewer than 30 employees, and be less than 10 years old.
- Your startup or technology must be launched (not stealth), must have traction (customers and/or funding), must be a technology product/solution, and must have a clearly communicated customer value proposition.
- Startups must be nominated by TBA.
Categories
3D Printing & Manufacturing
3D Printing & Manufacturing includes 3D printing software and machinery, 3D design and fabrication techniques, general manufacturing machinery innovation, and product distribution supply chains.
Advertising, Sales, Marketing
Digital advertising, customer intelligence, social media marketing, sales management software, sales analytics & optimization
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning innovation includes ML frameworks and libraries, neural networks, deep learning, data science technologies, algorithms, AI cloud services, AI management software, AI for security, as well as natural language processing and chatbots.
Blockchain & Cryptocurrency
Blockchain & Cryptocurrency innovation includes technology applications for bitcoin, ethereum, blockchain protocols, cryptocurrency payment processing and marketplaces, blockchain solutions for business / industry, decentralized ledgers / finances, and new decentralized application platforms.
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing innovation includes containers and kubernetes, cloud architecture, DevOps management, microservices & serverless architectures, and cloud native vs. hybrd cloud technologies.
Dev Innovation
Dev Innovation includes: APIs, developer tools and technologies, programming languages and frameworks, cloud development services, code collaboration and management, bug tracking and code security.
Education & Career
Education & Career innovation includes digital & mobile education applications, course and education management, artificial intelligence & adaptive learning, career and training management, and professional development technologies.
Entertainment, Media
Entertainment & Media innovation includes web and mobile entertainment applications, audio / video media technologies, social media applications, and streaming media technologies.
Environment, Clean & Green Tech
Environment & energy innovation includes solar and alternative energy technologies, smart grid solutions, clean tech, csensors / connected environments, and environmental management solutions.
Family, Lifestyle, Social
Family, Lifestyle, Social innovation includes any consumer tech products, for example: web and mobile family service applications, family communication and media technologies, and travel technologies including web and mobile travel applications, travel management, and travel social networks / review sites.
Finance & Analytics
Finance & Analytics innovation includes financial management software, business analytics software, payment processing technologies, investment software, and financial marketplaces & trading technologies.
Gaming, VR & AR
Gaming, VR & AR includes new computer games, video games, mobile games, emerging gaming consoles and systems, game development technologies, as well as virtual reality / augmented reality hardware, software, and games.
Health, Wellness & Fitness
Health, Wellness & Fitness innovation includes personal health web and mobile applicaitons, doctor and patient communication, medical records management, holistic wellness web and mobile apps, and wellness practice management.
Mobile, IoT, Devices
Mobile, 5G, Communications innovation includes new mobile devices, smart phone software and hardware, mobile application development technologies and languages, 5G software and hardware, and communications technologies.
Productivity, Management, HR
Productivity, Management, HR innovation includes project management, HR workflow & optimization, team communication & collaboration, and hiring / recruiting technologies.
Retail & Ecommerce
Retail & Ecommerce innovation includes web & mobile shopping, ecommerce technologies, connected retail software and hardware, digital fashion shopping & technologies, and customer intelligence / predictive analytics.
Robotics & Drones
Robotics & Drones innovation includes household / consumer robotics, industrial robotics, robotics design and development, as well as quadcopter innovation and industrial drone hardware and software.
Smart Cars, Automotive & Vehicles
Smart Cars, Automotive & Vehicles innovation includes the newest cars and road vehicles, smart car software and technologies, connected car web and mobile apps, self-driving car technologies, and artificial intelligence for automobiles.
Timeline
WorldFestival 2023 Awards Nominations will open soon!
Last Year’s Judging Committee
Elio Assuncao
Founder
Venture Capital World Summit Inc
Maximilian Bock
Investment Manager
HTGF
Goshi Cheragwandi
Managing Director/CEO
Nicholas Denissen
NED/Advisor/Investor
Macri LLC
Murilo Durigan
Marketing and Communications
PMI
Elen Gales
Brand Principal
ODSC
Bob Gillespie
Executive Director
Second Century Ventures
Julia Grala
CX Data Analyst
Rocket.Chat
Kimberly Hall
Head of New Business Launches
Toptal
David Hasebroock
Strategic Partner Manager
Google
Samantha Huang
Principal
BMW i Ventures
Tina Joros
Vice President, General Manager – Veradigm Platform
Allscripts Healthcare
Shin Kishioka
President
I.T.A., Inc.
Hadet Kovačević
Project Manager
Business Metropole Ruhr GmbH
Gosia Leszczynska
Digital Media/Paid Search Lead
Independent
Mike Litwin
Marketing Consultant
MDL Marketing Consultants
Zhi Martinez
Head of Product Strategy, Institutional Advice & Wellness
Vanguard
Tomoko Minagawa
Founder
Femtech Community Japan
Gargi Mishra
Foresight Manager, Strategy & Innovation
De Beers
Shambhavi Mishra
Director of Investments
Brand Capital International
Carolina Morandini
Open Innovation & Ecosystem Lead
Accenture Ventures
Maen Naboulsi
Strategic Planning Consultant
The Mena Catalysts
Aynat Ravin
Head of M Live
Marriott International
Sanjiv Razdan
Global Head of SME
NIUM (Instarem)
Steve Riley
Field CTO
Netskope Inc.
Valeria Sologoub
Chief Marketing Officer
Grinteq
Robert Upham
Advisor, Mentor
UC Berkley, various startups and incubators
Nicolas Vega
Associate
500 Latam